Scarlet America: A Ringing Connection
by Xyst
Summary: Set a year after the events in Age of Ultron. Wanda is now a full-fledged Avenger, only problem is she still has difficulties opening up to anyone. When she and Steve get ambushed on what seemed like a low-priority mission, things begin to change and a bond between the two heroes forms. Will include Thor, Tony, Natasha, Vision, etc in later chapters.
1. Ringing Ambush

"East wing is clear," Wanda spoke into her earpiece as she looked at the men on the floor in front of her.

"West wing-," she heard what sounded like grunts and hits through the earpiece, "is clear," Steve said a bit breathless. She and Steve had been dispatched on a low priority mission. Just another terrorist group making threats way above them. S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't think it was worth flying all the Avengers over so they sent the two nearest ones. They were dropped in the mountains next to the rubles of what looked to have once been a castle. It had been a year since the Ultron catastrophe and Wanda was slowly finding herself in the Avengers. Since then she had had help developing her abilities and had been assisting on missions.

"You said there'd be 10 men Captain. That was at least 30," she claimed.

"30?" he asked. "The scan only showed 30 people _total_ in the entire building and I'm pretty sure I took some out took here."

"Well your scan was wrong. I'm counting 36 on the floor here," Wanda quipped. Something was off. The scans were never wrong.

"Wanda, get back to the courtyard," he said very sternly, giving Wanda a bad feeling. She ran back to the courtyard they had come in from and nearly sprinted right into him.

"Woah," he stopped before they could collide and she took in his expression.

"What's wrong?" Steve looked around.

"I don't know. Something just isn't right here," he said quietly. Wanda nodded, she felt it too. "I lost contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. as I was taking out the men and haven't been able to reach them."

"Same. I've only gotten radio silence," she replied.

"This is Steve. Request for S.H.I.E.L.D. plane immediately," he spoke into his "specialized" watch. They had all been given one in case of emergencies. Instead of hearing a response, all they got was static. "This is Steve Rogers. Request for S.H.I.E.L.D. plane," he repeated. Nothing. "Our communications have been cut."

"S.H.I.E.L.D. will figure it out. I say we get out of here in the meantime. This place gives me the creeps," she confessed. Steve nodded in agreement and they started for the doors. They almost made it to the exit before they heard a click behind them. Wanda turned to find more than a hundred men surrounding them with their guns aimed. This was an ambush.

"Come quietly and no one gets hurt," one of the men yelled out. Wanda looked closer at him. He seemed so familiar…

"Who do you work for?" Steve called out. He looked over at Wanda and she shifted her eyes, letting him know she could handle it.

"You'll find out, when you surrender," the man yelled back, taking a step closer to them. They could either run, they still had an exit behind them, or they could fight off the men. He signaled Wanda letting her know they were in for a fight.

"That's not going to happen," he replied but before the men could react Wanda had shot out a red beam of energy and half the men were on the floor. That's when the action started. Men came at them from every direction. Wanda used her magic and took the men out as they charged towards her. The initial energy beam had drained her a little since she was still adjusting to her abilities but she told herself she could handle this. Had she not done it, they'd have double the men to fight off. Since she joined the team, she had worked with many people who had explained to her how her abilities and her body will counteract each other. The more power she uses, the less strength in her body. She had been keeping the two balanced and slowly building strength in both. As two men dropped in front of her she noticed they were wearing some sort of earplugs. She looked around and noticed all of the men were. Wanda had learned not to leave things like this to coincidence.

"STEVE!" she tried to warn him over the noise. They had nearly knocked out most of the men went a sharp ringing shot through the air, piercing her skull. She grabbed for her ears seeking any relief for the scorching pain that was roaring through her head. In her distraction at the sound, two men were able to get in hits and she buckled. She felt wetness all over her fingers, letting her know her ears were bleeding. She felt as blows were being delivered to her but they seemed like nothing compared to the ringing. She curled up and screamed, holding her ears.

"WANDA?" she heard Steve call over the ringing. She tried to move but everything hurt so much.

"MAKE IT STOP!" She screamed. She opened her eyes and looked around. They had taken out most of the men but more were coming. The last thing she felt was Steve picking her up and running.

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 **First Avengers story. I don't know where the idea of Steve/Wanda popped up but as soon as it did I had to write. Hope you guys enjoy and please leave reviews. I love feedback + any suggestions.**


	2. Cellar Healing

"Hey," Wanda heard a distant voice talking to her. "Wanda, can you hear me?" She felt as a hand rested down on her cheek… Steve… the fight in the courtyard… it all came back to her. "Wanda, I need you to open your eyes." She slowly gained consciousness and her eyelids fluttered open to look at Steve.

"What happened to you?" She joked but hissed when she felt a sharp sting on her lips.

"Same thing as you," he smiled, handing her what looked like a beat up T-shirt to wipe up the blood pouring from her lip. She must have busted it open during the fight. "Are you okay?" She slowly sat up to look around. They were in a small, dark room with no windows and only a little lamp next to them whose lightbulb seemed to be on the verge of going out. There was nothing on the walls and just boxes and some water jugs on the opposite side of them.

"My shoulder is killing me but otherwise I'm alright. Where are we?"

"Long story short- we're in a hidden cellar in the forest," he answered.

"Didn't know forests had those," she tried to joke.

"They don't. This cellar just happens to be next to a torn down, old house. I figured I'd cover it up with some shrubs and no one would even know it's here."

"Not bad Captain."

"Steve," he said, "Call me Steve."

"Alright 'Steve'," she mocked. He gave a little laugh.

"We'll have to stay here until S.H.I.E.L.D. shows up. There's too many for us to take," he looked her up and down as if to check for any more wounds. "And I don't want to risk it with you in this state." Wanda looked over at him and she noticed blood coated all over the front of his suit.

"Were you shot?!" She put her hand on his chest to feel for any holes in the fabric.

"No, that's all you," she looked up at him. "Turn around." She did as she was told. Sure enough, there was a large gash in her costume that ran from her right shoulder and down her back. He put a finger on it and she gasped. "We have to get that cleaned up."

"I'll survive," she said hesitantly and turned around. "S.H.I.E.L.D. can't take too long." She had acquired a great number of nasty scars from her time during the experiments. It was something she didn't share with anyone but Pietro and she didn't want to share with Steve. He and the other Avengers were so strong and brave. She had just gotten to a good level with the team and she didn't want to mess that up by him seeing her scars and mistaking it for weakness. She was just as strong as them. Steve gave her a stern look.

"I don't think you realize how fast infections can set in. I've dealt with multiple battle wounds before, let me clean it up," he said as he walked over and rummaged through the boxes.

"It's fine," she said quickly. He turned to look at her.

"Look, I'm not letting you die down here. I have to clean that wound," he almost pleaded her. He didn't look like he was backing down and she knew he had ten times the patience she did. She weighed her choices.

"Fine," she muttered. He turned back to his search through the boxes. Wanda turned her back to the light and him and unzipped the top half of her suit. She let it drop, took off her undershirt and unhooked her bra, making sure everything in front was still covered though. Steve seeing her naked was the last thing she needed. She shivered a bit as she felt the cold on her skin.

"Okay, so this is going to hurt a little," she heard as he walked back towards her and sat down, shuffling with whatever supplies he had found, "but I need you to..." he gradually went silent.

"Steve?" She turned around to see what had happened. He sat there looking wide-eyed at her.

"I'm- I'm sorry… I just…" Steve was looking at the multitude of scars all over her back. Wanda turned back around and sighed. Pretty much how she had expected him to react. Her scars were deep and ugly, enough to freak out anyone. "What happened to you?" He asked. She didn't like talking about her time there. It reminded her of all of the horrible things she had to endure.

"When an experiment didn't work, they got angry," She kept it short and simple. She didn't like to open up to anyone.

"The pain…how did you survive?" He asked as he opened the water jug and got the shirt wet. He slowly patted the area around the wound to clean up some of the crusted blood. She winced when he'd get near the wound.

"Same way you did. You were experimented on too."

"That's true but the pain I went through was once and it was over. From what I understand, you went through series of experimentations," he counteracted. She didn't know what to say so she just stayed quiet. "Do you remember much of your time there?" He continued on her back.

"I try not to." She winced as he began cleaning the wound. It was deeper than she had thought. They sat in silence as he finished her back. He put on mock bandages from what he could find. She dressed herself again and turned towards him. He began to clean off the blood around her face.

"Thank you," she gave him a small smile, "for taking care of me." Since Pietro had died, she always felt that she was a bit alone.

"Any day," he smiled back, "and Wanda," he paused, "I want you to know, you can always come talk to me." Steve Rogers, always making sure everyone was okay.

"I know," she said. If she had to open up to someone on the team, he would be the obvious first choice. He had such a deep empathy and a way to make everyone feel safe when talking to him.

"You're all done," he said as he ran the shirt once more down her cheek. She gave him a nod to say thank you.

"Well, I guess there's nothing to do then until S.H.I.E.L.D. arrives. I'm taking a nap."

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Wanda woke what felt like a few hours later shivering. The temperature had dropped dangerously low and she felt like she could freeze to death in that moment. She and Steve had made a makeshift bed by laying down one of the blankets they found and using some of the T-shirts as pillows. She slowly sat up, dizzying herself in the process. Maybe it was the cold but she felt pure exhaustion and just wanted to lie back down and sleep forever. She knew the dangers though and went over to the box Steve had pulled the t-shirts from, knocking another box over in the process. For a superhero, she was very clumsy. Steve snapped awake and looked around. He seemed to relax when he didn't see any immediate threats, just her standing by a fallen box.

"Wanda?" He asked groggily, his voice still low from sleep. "What are you doing?"

"I-I-," her teeth were chattering, "I'm really coooold." She fought to keep her eyelids open. "Aren't you cold?" She stuttered.

"My suit was made to resist extreme temperature and my body adjusts to temperature better than normal humans," he half-laughed like he'd explained this a million times before as he got up and led her back to the makeshift bed. At contact with him, her skin sizzled in pleasure. He was a shield of warmth.

"Wanda, you're freezing," he seemed to feel the opposite. "Hold on, there are a couple more blankets over here. Lay down," he said and untangled himself from her. She felt the piercing cold hit her as soon as his arms let go. He rummaged through a box and to Wanda's delight, he pulled out what looked like thick quills. He walked over and draped them over her before lying down next to her. She felt a little bit warmer (not as warm as she was a moment ago).

"Are you alright now?" he asked a bit worried as she was still shivering a bit.

"Yeah," she yawned, "I think I'll survive the night-t-t-t." The blankets helped but she was still cold. At this point, she was too tired to care though. "Thank you," she said, her teeth still chattering a bit, and reached over to squeeze his hand. "You're so warm," she said only half conscious now.

"Screw it," she barely heard him but felt as Steve went under the blanket and wrapped his arms around her. Instant warmth surrounded her and she relished in the feeling. She tucked her head into his chest and the tension in her body seemed to loosen.

"Just don't freeze on me," he said, still sounding concerned. She mumbled something even she didn't recognize and drifted off to sleep.

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 **Please review and let me know what you think. Reviews always boost inspiration :P**


	3. Happy Trap

Wanda woke up warm and happy. She didn't have any of her usual nightmares; it was a first in a while. She opened her eyes slowly and took in her surroundings. She was lying with her head on Steve's chest which was moving at a calming, steady rhythm. She knew she should move before he woke up and everything got awkward but she couldn't. She couldn't remember the last time she felt this relaxed and she wanted the moment to last just a little bit longer.

"A penny for your thoughts?" Steve said after an hour. Wanda jumped at his voice. He let out a laugh that she felt powerfully vibrating through his chest. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to scare you." Wanda gave a little smile and forced herself not to turn red out of embarrassment. He had caught her.

"Nothing important," she mumbled and sat up, moving away from him but caught her arm.

"Hey, I'd rather this than you freeze," he tried to reassure her with a little smile. She eased up a little. "So what were you thinking?" She paused before answering.

"This was the first night in a long time I haven't had nightmares. It was nice," she thought out loud.

"Are they really bad?" he asked.

"Some linger longer than others," she confessed. She could sense Steve didn't know what to say to her short answers. She felt bad. He was trying to help but she had grown so accustomed to hiding herself it was now second nature to her.

"Why think of such heavy things in the morning? Let's talk about something happier," he changed the subject.

"Like what?" Wanda snorted.

"Like hmm… well what are you planning to do for your birthday?" He asked.

"Birthday? Nothing, I'm not the kind to make a big deal out of them," she replied.

"You mean not everyone is like Tony and wants to throw a 5,000 person party to celebrate themselves?" Wanda laughed at his comment.

"That's Stark alright. I don't know, I just never had the chance to celebrate it. Times were always tough, you know?"

"Well then, we'll have to make sure Tony throws you a lovely ball this year," he cut her off before she could decline, "and before you complain, we both know Tony will look for any excuse to have a party and drink. You can't possibly deny him this simple joy," Steve teased. Wanda couldn't help but giggle and she saw as Steve grinned.

"What?" she asked about his goofy grin.

"You just don't smile a lot and this is the first time I've seen you laugh. I like this side of you," he smirked. Wanda looked away and tried not to blush at his comment.

"Well, thank you," she looked back at him, "for making me smile." She could see the joy well up in Steve's chest. He was such a kind man and she swore nothing gave him more happiness than making another person happier. "So what do you do on yours?"

"I've never been a party kind of guy. I like to celebrate privately with just the closest to me. I'd take a two or three person dinner over a birthday bash any day." Wanda thought it over.

"So when is your birthday?" She asked.

"July 4th," he answered.

"What? No way! M-," Wanda was cut off by the cellar door being thrown open. They scrambled up and out of the sheets. Steve grabbed his shield and Wanda prepared herself. There were 5 men lined up on the staircase, guns aimed at them.

"We already did this once. This time save us all the trouble and come quietly," the man in front said. He was the same one that had spoken in the courtyard.

"Like hell we are," Wanda spat. The guy looked her up and down, making her skin crawl.

"Oh, you will come with us," the man croaked and held up what looked like a tiny remote with only one button. He pushed it and the same ringing from the courtyard began. Wanda covered her ears but with no result. She screamed and dropped to the floor as the sound once again invaded her head.

"Wanda!" Steve was next to her in seconds, his hands on hers. She couldn't do anything but scream, the sound seemed to take over everything else. "STOP!" Steve yelled over the sound. "WE'LL COME WITH YOU JUST PLEASE STOP." The man let go of the trigger and Wanda collapsed in relief. Steve cleared her hair out of her face. "Wanda?" he barked. "Wanda are you okay?" She slowly came back to her senses and groaned.

"What did you do to her?" Steve turned and howled at the man.

"Nothing she hasn't experienced before," he grinned.

"You son of a-," Steve started towards the man.

"Steve," she pleaded him and grabbed his arm. She knew Steve could take the 5 men out but there were probably a hundred more outside. It must have taken everything in him not to attack the man from his tense stance. Wanda had thought the ringing was familiar she just hadn't been able to place it until now. Back during the experiments, they would use it when she threw out too much energy and let it ring until the very last moment when she thought she couldn't take it anymore. She was terrified of what would happen to her if they just let it keep ringing.

The man motioned for his comrades to go back up the stairs. "If we're all done here, let's go," he said smugly. She could see Steve's knuckles turning white in rage. She tried to hop up but was still dizzy. She felt Steve catch her just as she was about to hit the ground.

"I've got you," he said, steadying her. She gave herself a moment to find her footing but she was drained and she knew she had lost a lot of blood based on the wetness she felt around her ears and all over her hair. Steve threw one of her arms around his neck and held her waist. They slowly went up the stairs and into the blinding sunlight.

"We just wanted the girl but when he learns we've got Captain America too, well let's say I'll be in much better standing," the man cackled.

"I wouldn't be so sure," Wanda heard a familiar voice. They spun around to find none other than Maria Hill standing behind them with a gun aimed at the man. A hundred clicks were heard at once and S.H.I.E.L.D. agents poured out of the woods. "Drop your weapons," Maria yelled. One by one the men dropped their guns and the agents began grabbing the weapons and handcuffing the terrorists. "Are you okay?" Maria asked taking in Wanda's state.

"I'm fine now. I think I just need some rest," Wanda sighed.

"What happened? We lost all communication with you two," she asked.

"We were ambushed," Steve replied, eyeing the man. "One second," he said and slipped away from Wanda. She watched as he walked over to the man and took the remote from him. "This is for her." He hit the man with a hard blow. She heard a crack and knew he had broken the man's nose for sure. Steve walked back to them and took Wanda into his arms again. "Now let's get you home."

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 **Let me know what you guys think or anything you might want to see in future chapters :)**


	4. Hospital Dancing

"Hey sleepy head." Wanda's eyes fluttered open at his voice. It took a moment before she could focus on the blonde hair, blue-eyed man in front of her.

After the ambush, she had been taken back to a S.H.I.E.L.D. facility where they had found a little device implanted in her ears, causing the damage from the ringing on the field. They had stitched up her shoulder and back and she had undergone a minor surgery yesterday to take the device out. It had all kept her trapped in a hospital room for the past week or so. Her only relief came when Steve would visit. He had made a point to check in on her every day. Though they were only trapped together for a day, something had shifted between them.

"Hey," she croaked, her voice still dry from sleep. She rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up. Steve pulled up the chair next to her bed.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he propped up the table that adjoined her hospital bed.

"A lot better," she replied as he moved the table in front of her and put down a Domino's box on it. Wanda looked up at him.

"I thought you might be hungry post-op and I remember you saying you loved pizza," he smiled. Wanda couldn't help but smile too. He was always thinking of his teammates.

"Thank you, Steve," she said opening the box and grabbing a slice. Mushrooms and black olives. Her favourite. She took a bite and it tasted like heaven compared to the hospital food they had been serving her. "How is the rest of the team?" Since the ambush she had only seen S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and Natasha aside from Steve.

"They're good, up to their usual antics," he grabbed a slice himself and sat back in his chair. "Stark just announced he's throwing a ball this weekend."

"A ball? As in a Cinderella ball?" She knew Stark hosted parties all the time but she never paid much attention to them.

"No, not like a Cinderella ball," Steve laughed. "He's hosting a dance in honour of another successful year of the Avengers."

"Cool," Wanda grabbed another slice.

"You do realize you have to go?" Wanda stopped mid-chew.

"Why?"

"It's for the Avengers and as an Avenger yourself, you have to be there." He smiled at her stunned expression.

"I'm not a ball kind of girl," she swallowed.

"Hey, I don't like his parties either but we don't have much of a choice here."

"I'm still healing!" She laughed. "Ha! I have an excuse."

"Your bruises are almost completely gone," Steve chuckled at her efforts. She sighed.

"I won't know anyone there."

"I'll be there. You know me." Wanda gave him a small smile.

"And I'll say hi before you're swept away by other friends." Steve stayed silent making Wanda rethink her words. "I'm sorry, Steve. I didn't mean to offend you. I just-."

"You didn't." He looked back at her. "I don't know if you've noticed but I don't have many people here."

"But you're Captain America?" She said dramatically.

"Yeah but I take that suit off and I'm just Steve Rogers, a man from another world dropped in New York City without anything from my old life to hold on to." She had never thought of it that way. She had always seen him as the hero and leader everyone loved but never as the man stuck in the wrong time. "I guess in a way we're the same. We both volunteered for experiments in hopes to help our countries and in return lost our homes and everyone we knew…"

"With no way to get it all back," she finished. They stared at each other as a sort of invisible string of emotion seemed to flow from one another. She understood how he felt. Sokovia was gone and with it all of her memories of her home and childhood. Pietro was gone just like Bucky. She remembered him from when she had been in Steve's head. She held out her hand and he reached out to take it. They sat there and just let the other have a moment to grieve.

"What were the 40's like?" she finally asked. Steve's seriousness faded and he gave a whisper of a smile.

"Crazy." They spent the next couple hours exchanging stories of their past lives. She asked Steve all the questions she wanted to know about the old days and he would always get so excited to tell her about them. In a way she felt like he could relive them a little that way. The smile that spread across his face though… she'd give anything to keep it there. He was always so serious and worried about the team. "I wish you could have seen it. It was amazing," he finished his tale about when his and Bucky's favourite bar opened up. Wanda smiled and then a thought came to her mind.

"Maybe I can," she placed one hand softly on the side of his face. She could try and enter into his mind like she had before only this time, she'd let him wander to where he wanted. Steve glanced from her hand back to her. "Only if you want me to," she hesitated and drew her hand back a bit. He placed his hand gently on hers and put it back on his cheek. Wanda smiled. She didn't think Steve let many people in so she felt her chest well a little. "Okay, close your eyes and concentrate on that night." She saw as he took one last look at her and closed his eyes. "Concentrate on that night, what you saw, what you heard, how you felt." Wanda closed her eyes and waited. One moment she was listening to the beeping of the IV machine and in the next loud jazz music was blasting in her ears.

Wanda opened her eyes to see a world full of colour. They were in a large, fancy bar with elegant chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. All around people were dressed in fine clothing and mingling, some were dancing, and some were drinking. She felt this overwhelming feeling of happiness like her heart could beat right out of her chest. She realized she was in Steve's mind so what he felt, she might feel too. She looked over at the man standing next to her who was taking in the scene with so much wonder and joy. He looked down at her with such a big smile.

"How are you doing this?"

"It's all magic," she smiled. He looked back around, like he was trying to take everything in before it all disappeared. She looked around too and she had to admit, it was one of the most amazing places she had ever seen. Everything was so uniquely decorated and everyone was so happy. She glanced from the amazing vocalist on stage to a couple with no care in the world dancing on the floor to two men laughing and drinking at the bar. One turned around slightly and Wanda couldn't stifle her giggle. "Is that you?" she looked over at Steve who had followed her line of sight at her outburst.

"The one and only," he said sheepishly. She nudged his shoulder to let him know she didn't want him to feel uncomfortable.

"That must be Bucky then?" she asked about the man beside him.

"It is." Steve stared at the two as a mix of sadness and happiness crossed his face. Wanda found herself swaying to the music; it was very catchy.

"The girls always did love this tune," Steve laughed and Wanda turned to see him looking at her little moves. She punched his shoulder lightly. "Come on, let's dance." He held out his hand to her. What the hell. No one could actually see them. She took his hand and they walked over to the dance floor. Steve placed his other hand high up on her back, carefully avoiding her waist, a real 40's gentleman. He nearly lifted her up and they began something between jumping up and down and dancing. Wanda couldn't catch her breath from laughing. Everyone around them had begun the same dance, crashing into each other. No one cared how ridiculous they looked; they just danced their hearts out. "Now this," Steve spun her around, "is the 40's." He brought her back in but she lost her footing and slammed into his chest. They both laughed and continued. It was like a huge mix of salsa, square dancing, and Bollywood. When the song finally ended, they were both out of breath.

"The 40's required a lot more energy," she laughed. On stage the woman began singing a slow, deep song. She stepped closer to Steve and they began slowly swaying.

"Thank you for this," Steve beamed. Wanda returned his smile and let her head fall on his chest and they danced. She was still so tired. The song played for hours and they just danced as Steve pointed things out to her. He got so excited every time he saw something familiar. His smile only grew with every passing moment.

"Rogers," the pair heard a voice booming above them. Wanda looked up at him.

"Guess our time here is up," Wanda smiled as she closed her eyes and focused back on the real world. Wanda woke up back in the hospital bed with Natasha hovering over her. She looked over at Steve who was also just waking up but with a smile on his face.

"Rogers," Natasha called again to get his attention. He looked up to see what she needed but Natasha's eyes were no longer on him but on his right hand which happened to be tangled with Wanda's. Wanda cleared her throat and slipped her hand away from him looking anywhere but at the redhead. Steve was easier to open up to but the rest of the team still made her uncomfortable at times.

"It's debriefing time," she said as she walked to the door entrance, taking another look between the pair. Steve glanced at his watch and up at Wanda.

"Thank you again," he whispered, beaming. His smile was so big, his cheeks _had_ to hurt. His sheer happiness was infectious because Wanda found her cheeks hurting a second later. He leaned over in haste and planted a quick kiss on her forehead, "Get better soon," he disappeared out of the room but not before flashing her a quick smile. Wanda was frozen in her bed for a moment before she could react. She then proceeded to giggle out loud at Steve's glee. She had never seen him without his usual brooding face and it brought her joy that she had momentarily been able to give him some of the happiness he deserved. Wanda sat back on the bed. The 40's were pretty awesome.

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 **Let me know what you guys liked (or didn't like) about the chapter and anything you might want to see in the next chapters! Reviews mean a lot Also, I'm in need for a beta for this story, if anyone would like :)**


	5. Stark's Ball

Wanda stepped out of the shower. She had been released from the hospital around noon and all she had wanted to do the entire trip back to her apartment was shower. She grabbed her robe and wrapped it around herself as she opened the bathroom door. She gasped when she found someone in her bedroom.

"Good, you're done," Natasha said as she began shuffling around the room. She grabbed the chair from the vanity and placed it at the edge of the bed, motioning for Wanda to sit but Wanda didn't see because she was solely focused on the agent's appearance. Natasha had her red hair done up and tucked to one side behind a beautiful silver hair pin. Her makeup was extravagant and had a hint of emerald to match with the long (and very sexy) gown that Wanda knew would get her looks all night.

"You look beautiful." She received a rare, genuine smile from the woman.

"Thank you," Natasha motioned for Wanda to sit again, "And now I'm here to dress you up."

"Me?"

"You forgot about Stark's ball?" Natasha raised an eyebrow. _Oh crap._

"I'm really not feeling-."

"You're going Maximoff." Wanda took one look at her and knew there was no getting out of this. She walked over and sat down on the bed. Natasha grabbed some of the makeup she had set down on the bed and began decorating her face.

"I didn't realize you were into makeup," Wanda commented as Natasha began skilfully working with the powders.

"You learn a lot of tricks here and there."

"Why are you really here?" As much as Wanda wanted to believe Natasha was just being kind, the two had barely spoken the entire time she had been on the team.

"One- because this is a very high class event so we need you to fit in. The last thing S.H.I.E.L.D. needs is one of our identities exposed. Two- I need information from you."

"What information?"

"Who was the man that attacked you and Rogers out on the field?"

"I already told you. His name was Emil." Why was Natasha questioning her about this now?

"What was his last name?"

"I don't know."

"Who did he work for?"

"I don't know."

"What do you know about him then?"

"Just that his name was Emil and he was there during the experiments."

"You didn't mention him before when you were interrogated before joining the team."

"I didn't remember him. The ringing triggered a memory." It was true. Wanda knew how terrible the experiments were and remembered bits and pieces but the more she tried to focus on the people, the foggier everything got.

"Interesting."

"What's interesting?" Natasha was looking at her suspiciously.

"Something's blocking you from seeing all of your memories. All of those Hydra agents' identities are in your head but they've blocked you from seeing them." Wanda gulped. She knew they had used forms on brash washing and control over her and Pietro but the idea of them still messing with her head made her shiver. "It's an old trick but a good one." Natasha applied something on to her eyebrows. Wanda already felt her face getting heavier with all the makeup. "We have a feeling Hydra has something up their sleeve and they're planning on using you for it."

"I'd never help them." Wanda knew for a fact she'd never go back to them.

"Until you get rid of the block, you don't have a choice." Wanda's jaw tightened at Natasha's words. The red head plugged in a curler into the wall.

"Then how do I get rid of it?"

"You go back in your memories and fight it." No. She couldn't do that. Her nightmares were bad enough and they were only bits and pieces. Reliving the whole thing? No. "If we could get the names of those Hydra agents, we could stop them before they ever make a move." Wanda felt like her heart was beating a million miles a minute. "We don't know what kind of block it is so there is a chance that if you go in, you might not be able to make it back out. We're flying in a specialist tomorrow and we'll see."

"What does Hydra need me for? And why now?"

"I don't know but I hope we'll find out before it's too late." Natasha pushed aside the makeup and picked up the curler. "Turn around." Wanda did as she was told and sat with her back to Natasha. She felt as the woman slowly began grabbing strands of hair. "I also came here to talk about Steve." Confusion swirled in Wanda's head.

"What about him?"

"He was distracted yesterday after he came to visit you."

"He was _happy_ ," Wanda inserted.

"Yes, but not concentrated. Rogers is our leader and we need his head in the game at all times. Not somewhere else with you."

"I don't think-."

"That being said as a S.H.I.E.L.D agent," Natasha paused, "As his friend, I want to say thank you." Wanda looked back at her. "It was nice to see him smile." She continued with the curler. "I've known and worked with Steve very closely for years now. He's not very social and he rarely opens up. Do realize that him allowing you in is a rare thing. He's a good man Wanda. Don't hurt him."

She finished Wanda's hair and handed her a zipped up bag on a hanger. Wanda opened it up to find a beautiful, red dress made of finer cloth than she had ever seen. "I thought Scarlet would suit you." Wanda gave her a smile. Natasha started packing up everything on the bed and Wanda quickly ran to the bathroom to put the dress on.

"Wow, this dress is a lot tighter than it looks," Wanda said stepping out. Natasha paused what she was doing and just stared at her.

"Yeah, you're not blending in," she took one last look at Wanda and grabbed her stuff, heading for the door.

"What? Wait!"

"Your purse is on the bed stand. I'm going to grab the car," Natasha called out and the front door slammed. Wanda sighed. She was not excited about tonight; she hated these events. As Wanda walked over to grab her phone and purse off the table she caught her reflection in the mirror. She had to do a double take because she hardly recognized herself. She lightly stroked her cheek as to not mess up Natasha's work. This was her. Natasha had given her dark smoky eyes that made her blue eyes really pop and curled her hair to make it look like it was cascading over her shoulders. And the dress… it hugged every curve so perfectly and make her bust very apparent. Wanda turned to catch deep plunge of the open back. Wow. She wasn't sure how comfortable she was with how revealing the back was but it was too late to get another one now. She had to admit though, Natasha had really made her look good. For someone who never thought twice about wearing mascara or not, she couldn't stop looking at her reflection. She heard the honking from outside her window, signalling an anxious Natasha. Here's to tonight going well. She took the elevator down stairs to find Natasha waiting in a very nice, very expensive looking sports car.

After a 20 minute drive, Natasha pulled up right in front of a very fancy mansion that had a line pouring out the side of people waiting to get in.

"You can't stop here," one of the guards tapped on Wanda's window. Natasha exited the car and Wanda followed suit. The guard seemed to recognize Natasha and turned a light shade of pink.

"Take care of her," Natasha said, throwing her keys at him. They started walking up the stairs, passed the people before Wanda remembered she had left her purse in the car. She back tracked in time just before the guard was about to drive off. She grabbed her purse and turned around only to find that she had lost Natasha. Wanda retraced their steps, getting a lot looks. She walked up to the front where a man, no doubt S.H.I.E.L.D, was checking ID's.

"Excuse me," Wanda tried to get his attention from aside. He looked over at her.

"Ms. Maximoff," he waved the people in line aside and made room for her to pass.

"Thank you," she said, not daring to turn and look at the people she had just cut. She made her way through a large hall way that had a few people scattered about. She turned the corner and found herself walking into a large ballroom filled with what looked like 400 people. She was on top of a staircase giving her a full view of the room. It was so elegantly decorated with golden fabrics dangling around the room and large, diamond chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. And the people… they were all dressed up so sophisticatedly. The men had fancy tuxedos on and the women all wore graceful, top-notch gowns. Everyone's attention was turned toward the stage where she found Stark making a speech.

"So I'd like to thank you guys," Stark was looking around the room at everyone, "for your support and to my team you guys-." Stark eyes connected with hers and she felt him looking her over. One by one, the audience followed his gaze to her. Her heart began to race under all the stares. "You guys are the best," he finished but most of the audience was still looking at her. All she wanted to do was turn around and run back to her apartment where she was nice and comfortable. But she had to suck it up for this one night. She held her head up high and walked down the stairs. When she got to the bottom people parted like the Red Sea for her. Tony kept talking and slowly the audience began looking back at him. She got to the middle of the floor when Steve stepped out of the crowd.

"You really know how to make a scene," he teased and held out his elbow. She wrapped her arm around it, happy with some familiarity.

"I wish I didn't," she mumbled at the few still staring at her as they started walking.

"You look very beautiful Wanda," he smiled. She had to stop her blush from coming up.

"Thank you." Steve led her over to where Thor, Jane, Barton, Laura, and the others were mingling.

"Wow," Jane's jaw dropped at the sight of her, "You look amazing."

"Thank you," Wanda was trying not to turn pink in front of everyone.

"Trying to steal my show are we?" Stark called out as he walked up to them, grabbing a glass of champagne from one of the waiters.

"Yes, we are," Natasha said walking up from the opposite side. Tony whistled at her.

"I heard you were in the hospital sweetie," Laura gave Wanda's hand a squeeze. "I hope you're feeling better."

"I am," Wanda gave her a big smile. Laura had always been exceptionally kind to her. The group started chatting amongst themselves. "You're not allowed to leave my side," Wanda looked at Steve and she grabbed two glasses of champagne, handing him one. He had jumped in here and there into a conversation but he mostly kept quiet and smiled.

"And why is that?" he laughed.

"Because I don't know these 400 other people and I don't feel like being social," she gave him a sweet smile.

"Alright. As long as you promise not to leave mine," he chuckled.

"Yay to being anti-social," Wanda held up her glass. Steve laughed and gently tapped hers.

"I love this song!" Pepper exclaimed as the music changed. It was an upbeat, fast paced song, giving a break to the constant orchestral medleys. Pepper grabbed Stark's hand and led him to the dance floor where the crowd was already starting to jump around.

"Would you do me the honour?" Clint said, holding his hand out to his wife. Laura smiled and they ran off after Pepper with Baner and Natasha in tow.

"Wanda?" Steve smiled.

"Oh uh, I can't dance in public Steve."

"Come on, it'll be just like the 40's," he winked and grabbed her hand. They made their way near the group and began dancing to the rhythm. No one quite knew how to dance to the fun song in formal tuxes and gowns so they threw out any move they had. Steve attempted the moon walk but utterly failed garnering a loud laugh from Wanda. She threw out her most ridiculous moves and they laughed at each other's inability to dance to pop. Steve lifted her hand up in the air and spun her. She snickered at their one successful move. They easily got lost in the moment laughing. She had laughed more today and yesterday than she had all of the past year and she was looking at the reason right in front of her. Steve pointed just past her and she turned to see the man next to her doing the chicken dance. She burst out in giggles as she fell into Steve's side. The music faded and the slow orchestra began again.

"Aren't you glad you decided to dance now?" Steve smirked.

"Decided?! You dragged me out here!" She laughed. " _But_ , I'm glad you did," she beamed. Before Steve could respond, a tall blonde walked up to them.

"Hey Steve," she smiled.

"Hey," Steve looked between the two women, "Wanda, this is Sharon, my neighbour. Sharon this is Wanda, my anti-social friend." Wanda bumped his shoulder at the comment and laughed.

"It's nice to meet you," Wanda held out her hand to Sharon.

"It's nice to meet you too. I've heard a lot about you," Sharon admitted. Wanda looked over at Steve.

"Oh, she's S.H.I.E.L.D," he said sheepishly.

"I hope only good things then," Wanda smiled.

"Yes… I was actually hoping I could steal Steve for a dance," the blonde replied. _Oh._ Steve looked down at Wanda.

"Yeah of course. I was just going to go get a drink," Wanda fluttered and stepped away. "I'll see you in a bit," she looked back at Steve. His face showed a mix of emotions and she couldn't target how exactly he felt.

"Excuse me," Wanda felt as someone grabbed her arm. She turned around to find a tall, dark haired man smiling at her. He let go of her arm and held his hand out instead. "I was hoping I could get a dance?"

"Sure," she didn't want to be rude so she took his hand. The man smiled and wrapped his arms around her, laying his hand on her bare back. Wanda shivered at the feeling of a stranger touching her.

"I haven't been able to take my eyes off of you since you entered the room," he confessed. He was very handsome but his words were slurred, cluing her in on his intoxication. Wanda looked around for an escape. She didn't know what to respond and the way he was so close to her made her uncomfortable.

"Thank you," she muttered. "Uh, what is your name?"

"You don't know who I am?" The man laughed at her words.

"No," Wanda began to feel her skin crawl as his hand shifted lower.

"Wow you bimbos get stupider every year." His comment shocked Wanda a bit. "I'm Jackson Summers, the senator's son."

"Well, Jackson," Wanda tried to slip out of his grip, "I don't like men who call me a bimbo or stupid so I think I'll be going." His grasp on her only tightened until he was squeezing her hand so tight she though he might crush it.

"Look chick: I'm hot, I'm rich, and I'm famous. It's a privilege for girls like you to be with me," he was barely getting words out in his drunken state.

"Get your hands off of me," Wanda threatened and tried to push him away but he only pulled her closer so his face was less than an inch from hers. She could feel his heavy breath on her that reeked of alcohol.

"How cute," he laughed again and she felt as his hand travel down from her back to her bottom. "What are you going to do?" he nearly stumbled. He gave her butt a squeeze and she lost it. Her red magic began swirling around arms and she hit the man with a blast. He flew back on to a couple behind him, knocking them all over. Everyone turned to look at him then their attention was on her. Wanda looked around at the faces of confusion and judgement. She spotted Steve in the crowd who was wildly looking from the man to her, Sharon in tow. Next to him was the rest of the team looking at her. She gulped and started running.

* * *

 **Sorry for not writing in so long. I've been busy working full time along with school now. I hope you guys enjoy. Please comment and let me know if there are still any readers out there.**


	6. A Typical Wanda Night

Wanda ran back up the stairs but instead of going out where the entrance was still packed, she continued down the hall. After a few turns she found herself outside and let out a breath of relief. The fresh, night air was a nice break from the overwhelming cologne and perfume inside. She walked down a path that led her to a sort of mini garden with a bench. She sat down on it, knowing she'd be hidden from view. The team's faces just kept replaying in her head and she buried her face in her hands. She had no idea what S.H.I.E.I.L.D. was going to do now but the more she thought about it the less regret she had about her actions. She had defended herself. She shouldn't have to tolerate the bastard's inappropriate actions. This night had started out well but of course it wouldn't stay that way.

"Why can't anything go right?" She thought out loud.

"Quit crying princess," Wanda jumped at the voice but before she had time to react a cloth with a very pungent smell was being stuffed in her face. Wanda immediately felt herself getting sleepy. She elbowed the man behind her who dropped the cloth and stood up quickly to face another man who was already lunging at her. She shot at him with her magic, knocking him over. In the corner of her eye she saw as two other men started running at her. What was going on? She threw beams their way but only managed to stop one as the other landed a blow to her gut and knocked her over. She tried to turn around quickly but her dress got caught in branches, pinning her down. Shit. She frantically shot at the man and sent him flying only to see 6 more men running at her. She hastily unwrapped the branch from her arm and the hem of her dress. She got up an knocked out two men before one landed a hit on her, making her dizzy when combined with the effect the smell of the cloth was already taking on her. She regained her senses just to see the man lifting his arm up for a final blow. Before he could though she saw a strong arm catch it and twist it back. Steve emerged and knocked the guy out. The remaining men ran at him but they were no match. Steve had taken them out in seconds. Wanda slowly got up as he hit the last one.

"Are you okay?" he asked, placing a hand on her cheek to inspect for any injuries.

"I told you not to leave my side," she joked. He looked very confused and then laughed.

"I'll make sure not to next time," he chuckled. His thumb brushed over where the man had hit her causing her to wince. "I'm sorry," he began apologizing.

"I'll be fine. I heal fast," she walked over to the bench and sat down. Her back was killing her. He followed after her and she saw as he fiddled with his watch, signalling the team. "Remind me not to listen to you next time you tell me to attend one of Stark's parties." Steve let out a little laugh.

"Had I known this night would be so eventful for you, I wouldn't have mentioned it." He looked around at the men on the ground. "What happened?"

"I don't know," she sighed. "One minute I was out here talking to myself and the next I have a cloth with chloroform being stuffed into my face and men attacking me. A typical Wanda night."

"Are they Hydra?"

"I don't know. I don't recognize any of them."

"What about before? In the ballroom?" Wanda gulped. She knew she was going to get in some kind of trouble if anyone had seen her use magic.

"He was rude and when I told him to let me go he got very... touchy." She saw as his jaw tightened.

"I shouldn't have left your side," he cursed.

"I'm a big girl, Steve. I can fend for myself."

"I know but it's a lot more dangerous for you now that Hydra has put a big target on your back."

"It scares me a bit," she admitted and Steve turned to look at her. "They're putting a lot of effort into catching me which makes me think they must be very confident that I'll cooperate."

"Wanda, you won't." All she could do was look at him with sad eyes.

"What if they have something against me? Or what if, like Natasha says, they can brainwash me again. How can they block me out of my own head? Why can't I see my memories? What did they do to me? How am I supposed to fight it?" At this point she was in tears.

"Hey, hey," he cooed and wrapped his arms around her. She melted in his embrace and buried her head in his chest.

"I- just- don't- understand- why-," she began stuttering but Steve shushed her.

"You're going to be fine, Wanda," he stroked her hair. "We won't let them get to you, I promise." She let herself melt into his arms and he stood comforting her.

"Cap!" Clint called out as he, Natasha, and Thor burst into the garden. Wanda quickly drew away from Steve and tried to swiftly wipe away her tears. She saw as they took in the men on the floor then looked between Steve and her. "What happened?"

"I'm guessing Hydra agents," Steve addressed, "they came after Wanda again."

"Well that leaves less of them to hunt," Natasha muttered as she leaned down to check one of them for any sort of ID.

"Did they say what they wanted? Or who they were working for?" Clint questioned her.

"No and no. They're dealt with though. I thought I'd just give you guys a heads up in case Hydra tried something inside," Steve nodded at them. "Now I'm going to take Wanda home. We'll discuss this tomorrow." The team returned his nod. Steve turned around and she mouthed "thank you" to him. He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her past everyone. They made their way through the building and towards the cars.

"Did you drive here?" he asked as he gave a card to the valet man. The man disappeared, no doubt to get Steve's vehicle.

"No, Natasha drove," she responded. She slid out of her heels. She had been suffering with them on all night she could not any longer.

"I'll drive you home," he said it like a no questions asked statement. "I don't want you out here alone." He looked around at the streets.

"I can take care of myself," she teased, "I am an Avenger after all." He chuckled and turned around. Without her heels on, she felt tiny compared to him now.

"I know, I just want to have peace of mind and know you're safe," he smiled down at her.

"Thank you. You're really an amazing captain," she acknowledged.

"As well as a friend I'm hoping," he chuckled.

"That too," she smiled. Wait, don't you drive a motorcycle?" The valet returned with a jet black Camaro. He got out of the car and handed Steve the keys.

"It would be unnecessarily hard to drive a motorcycle in a suit," he commented and guided her to the passenger side. Like the 40's gentlemen he was, he held the door open for her and closed it after her when she sat down. Wanda looked around inside the car and it wasn't Steve's old-kind of style. Everything was shiny and technological. He got into the car and Wanda gave him a look. "What?"

"This isn't very you," she motioned at the car. He let out a laugh.

"Stark had it sent over. He's not a fan of the motorcycle," he explained. Steve started the car and pulled out of the parking lot. "Where do you live?"

"Only 20 minutes away. I live in the big, red apartments on Sharman Street," she replied playing with the radio. She had grown a little more accustomed to the technological world over the past year but this was a Stark so she had no chance.

"I don't know how to work it either," he smiled. The spent the rest of the time fiddling with the radio but to no use. Steve pulled up to the apartment complex and turned the car off. Wanda went to open the door but Steve made a sound and she stopped. He exited the car and walked around to open her door.

"It's going to take some time for me to get used to that," she laughed. It was still so hard to grasp that Steve was from a different time where men were groomed to be perfect gentlemen. He held his hand out for her and she took it. Wanda fished for her keys in her purse as they walked up to the apartments' main door. She grabbed her keys and opened the door into the main lobby. The creak of the door echoed into the empty room.

"This place is a bit creepy," Steve commented looking around. Wanda had been in the place a million times before so the scary feeling had been long lost.

"Come on scardey cat," she nudged his arm and pulled him towards the elevator. They made their way to the 7th floor and walked over to her little home. She unlocked the door and stepped in, turning on the light. "Come in," she called out after her. She walked over to put her heels on the shoe rack. She felt bad Steve had driven her home and walked her to her studio. "Do you want anything to drink? Water, orange juice, m-." Her sentence was cut short.

"Wanda?" Steve called out but she heard as he stopped behind her. Wanda had put her heels down and looked around to find her apartment trashed. The couches had been upturned, there were plates and cups smashed all over the floor, her clothes were thrown out of the drawers along with many other things. Wanda walked around to see if she could get any indication of who this was but found nothing. Whoever it had been, they had tried their best to destroy everything they could. "WANDA!" she heard Steve yell before he knocked her over. The sound of her living room window shattering filled the room. She and Steve scrambled up and ducked behind the couch. "Is this how your nights usually go?" he commented trying to see if he could see over the couch. The sound of bullets hitting her kitchen cabinets made him duck down again.

"Not really," she hustled to the end of the couch, looking for a way out. She saw as a man emerged from her bedroom with a gun. He spotted her and began to shoot. She hit him with a hex before retreating behind the couch again.

"The only way out is a run through the door," Steve yelled. It wasn't a far distance but it left them exposed for a couple seconds and that was more than enough time for a sniper to take a shot.

"Let's go," Wanda picked up one of the books scattered on the floor and through it at the opposite end of the couch. They heard the sniper as bullets flew into the apartment and hit the book signalling them to run. The sniper realized what they had done and shot towards them but they had made it out. Wanda used her magic and slammed the door shut, locking him in but they both knew it would last long.

"Nice distraction," Steve hustled beside her and hit the elevator bottom. To Wanda's great relief, no one had used the lift since they got out so the doors opened immediately. They ran in and she slammed the bottom for the ground floor and the doors seemed to take an eternity to close. They heard as the man slammed her door open and her heart started to race. She just kept slamming the button as if it could make the doors close faster. He saw them as the doors almost shut. He aimed his gun and they flew to the walls of the elevators. The ping of two bullets shot into the elevator before the doors closed. Steve moved in front of her. She could feel the tension building of whether or not there would be someone on the other side as the doors re-opened. The lights flashed _5…4…3…2…1_ … _ping._ Wanda readied herself as the doors opened but they found no one. Wanda still felt her heart racing as Steve grabbed her hand and they dashed out the main lobby and into the parking lot. Steve unlocked the car and they jumped in. He reversed out of the spot as they heard a gunshot and the ping of the bullet on Wanda's side door. There was a man standing outside the lobby door. Steve floored it out of the lot and onto the main roads. They heard the screeching of a car pulling out behind them. Wanda turned to see a big grey SUV following them.

"How many of them are there?" Wanda cried out. Steve weaved in and out of traffic getting them a lot of angry beeps.

"I don't know," he said as he cut someone off, "but I think I've lost them." Wanda turned to look out the back windows and the grey SUV was gone. She finally let herself breathe again.

"What was that?" she said, her chest still heaving from the action.

"I don't know but you're not going back to your apartment," he said and made a right turn. Wanda gulped. What if Steve hadn't been there? What if she'd come home herself?

"Where are we going now?" She asked as he turned into a parking lot. She saw the large complex in front of her, a little fancier than her own apartments. Steve slowly pulled into a parking spot and turned off the car.

"My place," he got out of the car and she followed suit. "I signalled Sharon so S.H.I.E.L.D. will be here soon." He put his hand on the small of her back and guided her towards one of the entrances. They entered the decorated, marble lobby and went into the elevator. She saw him hit the level 3 button and the doors shut. She was standing behind Steve but she saw his stern expression in the reflection of the elevator doors. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she whispered. She was still trying to process what all had happened. Tonight had turned from perfect into bad and to even worse. He turned to look at her and she barely met his gaze. They were only centimetre apart.

"Are you sure?"

"No," she said so quietly. Before Steve could do anything the doors opened and a blonde lady was standing in front of them. Steve stepped back and turned towards her.

"Steve," Sharon nodded, "Wanda." She was still dressed up in her fancy attire. "I did a sweep of your apartment, you're clear," Sharon commented as they filed into Steve's place. It was definitely bigger than Wanda's. She had a simple one bedroom apartment with the bare necessities. She was content with a cozy, little home. Steve's on the other hand was more luxurious and had all the rooms individually split up. The place was obviously decorated by an interior designer, everything followed a strict colour scheme.

"Wanda," Steve snapped her out of her thoughts and motioned for her to sit down on the couch.

"Can I get you anything? Water? Coffee?" he paused, "Orange juice?" he mimicked her earlier question.

"Water," she smiled. He gave her hand a squeeze and disappeared into the doorway of another room. Sharon sat down on the table right in front of her.

"Tell me exactly what happened."


	7. Roomates

"We'll do everything we can," Maria assured her.

"Thank you," Wanda replied. She had been sitting on Steve's couch for a couple hours now getting questioned about her association with Hydra and what she knew about the attack.

"So what's the plan now?" Steve asked. He had sat next to her throughout the entire questionnaire.

"Obviously, we'll have to put you in lockdown until we figure this out. That means no going out especially not by yourself, no missions either, limited contact, so on and so forth,"

"Wait what?" Wanda exclaimed. She had been a prisoner for a long time and she was not about to let Hydra make her one again. "No."

"Wanda," Steve tried to ease the mood in the room, "It's for your safety. These people know you; they know your abilities."

"No, I've been Hydra's prisoner before. This is not happening. I won't spend my days hiding out alone in some dank, hidden S.H.I.E.L.D. facility until someone is caught." Wanda turned to look at Maria, her expression making her decision very final. Maria stayed silent, no doubt trying to figure something out.

"Stay with me." Steve's comment made everyone turn around. "You won't be alone or in some hidden facility."

"Steve you don't have to," Wanda assured him. She didn't want to put any pressure on him.

"That's not going to work-," Maria started.

"We'll add some reinforcements outside the apartment and complex. They'll never think to look for her here," Steve argued.

"I don't know Cap," Maria sighed. Steve turned to look at Wanda.

"Would you rather stay here?" he asked.

"Of course but-."

"Then it's settled," Steve cut her off, "Maria, do what you need to." Maria gave him a nod and got up. Steve followed her to the door. She and the other agents one by one shuffled out of the apartment until only Steve, Wanda, and Sharon were left. Sharon eyed Wanda before turning her attention to Steve.

"I'll be right next door if you need anything," she gave Steve an easy smile and he returned it. She left and he turned back to Wanda.

"Steve you really didn't have to," she complained getting up.

"Wanda," he walked over to her looking as tired as she felt. "You are a member of my team. As the captain, it's my responsibility to make sure you're safe," he rested his arm down on her shoulder, "But as you friend, it's my responsibility to make sure you're happy." She put her hand over his.

"Thank you," she whispered. "These past few days have been really crappy to say the least," he gave a little laugh, "but you stuck with me through them and I can't thank you enough for being there."

"You know I'll always be here," he playfully nudged her arm and she laughed. Even with everything that had happened, he still made her smile and that was so important to her. "Come here," he disappeared into his bedroom. Wanda cautiously walked in as he was shuffling through his drawers. "I don't have bottoms your size but I do have this shirt Stark gave me for Christmas that I 'accidentally' shrunk," he chuckled, handing her a change of clothes.

"Thank you," she said looking at the design of the shirt. It was plain black with Steve's shield in the middle. Underneath it said 'powered by Stark Industries'. Typical Stark.

"No problem. The bathroom is right behind you," Steve pointed. She smiled at him and went to change. She came back out into the living room to find Steve sitting on the couch in a white shirt and pyjama bottoms. She didn't know if she liked him more in a suit and tie or in casual PJs.

"Either you're a giant or I'm very tiny," Wanda said behind him. Steve turned around to find her drowning in the clothes he had given her. His shirt alone went down to her mid-thigh. He couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

"At least we know you'll be really warm tonight," he joked. She rolled her eyes and hopped onto the couch. Steve's phone lit up with a message alert. She noticed he still had the typical green leaf wallpaper that comes with every phone.

"I would have bet money your background was an American flag," she commented, getting a laugh from him.

"No, I've never messed with the thing."

"You should. Make it yours, you know?" Everything in this apartment screams S.H.I.E.L.D. at least his phone would be his.

"I feel like if I had an American flag on here, I'd never hear the end of it," he chuckled. Wanda grabbed his phone and swiped open to the camera. He covered his face and tried to get the phone back. "What are you doing?"

"Taking a picture of you," she said aiming the camera at him.

"A picture of me as my background?" He laughed, "That has Stark written all over it." He tried to get the phone again but she held her ground.

"Well you shouldn't have a boring leaf as your background," she smiled.

"Fine, can I take a picture of my TV as a background?"

"No!" she laughed. "It has to be personal."

"But I do love my TV a lot," he joked.

"No to the TV," she smiled.

"I'm not making a picture of myself my background," he raised an eyebrow.

"Here," Wanda said, switching the cameras on the phone so that she was now seeing herself on screen. "I'll be in the picture too." She held it up so that both of them were in view.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!" Wanda exclaimed making Steve laugh. Wanda snapped a pic in that moment.

"There, not so bad," she said as she waited for the picture to appear.

"What? I wasn't even ready!" The picture appeared and her heart lifted a bit. She had caught him in the middle of his laugh. He looked so happy and carefree.

"That's when the best pictures happen," she clicked on 'set as background'. "Here," she said handing him back his phone. He looked at his new screen and smiled. "You should have one thing that's you. I mean everything in here looks like S.H.I.E.L.D just bought it out of a standard catalogue."

"That's because they probably did," he laughed, looking around before his eyes settled on her phone. "So what's your background?"

"Uhm…" It was some picture of a random puppy she saw on the internet.

"You don't have a personalized one either!" Steve boasted grabbing her phone.

"Hey!" she laughed trying to get it back.

"And you gave _me_ grief for not changing mine!" he smiled.

"I was going to changed mine later," she tried.

"Sure you were. Let's see," he hit the power button, lighting up the phone. "Do you even like dogs?"

"No," Wanda admitted.

"How about we take a picture of you?" he grinned.

"Steve," she warned. He held the camera up and the flash went on. Wanda hid behind her hands laughing. She made a dash around the couch but he was right behind her. She giggled as she ran around the table and furniture. His arm wrapped around her stomach as he as her effortlessly picked her up with one hand. "No! Steve!" she laughed and started kicking as he spun her around. Unfortunately her leg flew up a moment too soon and the loud sound of glass shattering filled the apartment as the glassware from the TV cabinet hit the floor. The large stone vase tipped over and shattered into the glass table before hitting the ground with a thud. Wanda put a hand over her mouth.

"Steve!" Sharon burst through the door gun aimed. She surveyed the apartment before settling on the pair. "What happened?"

"We were…," Steve cleared his throat and they both instantly realized he was still carrying her. He gently set her down on the ground again and they looked at each other sheepishly.

"Everything's fine," Wanda smiled. "Sorry." She saw the grin spread across Steve's face.

"Oh," Sharon looked between the two. "I heard the glass shattering and thought… I'll see you in the morning." Sharon awkwardly put her gun down and shuffled back out. As soon as the door closed they burst into laughter.

"We were…?" she urged him to finish his sentence.

"Getting a picture of you," he smirked. She quickly slipped the phone out of his hands. "Hey! I changed my wallpaper; you have to change yours too."

"Fine," she caved. She held the camera up so both of them were in the shot. "Three… two… one-." Steve made a sound resembling a squeal, causing Wanda to lose it. "What was that?!"

"For the picture," he said, reaching over her to his the 'gallery' button. The picture pooped up. Steve was behind her looking like a handsome model while she was laughing her butt off in front.

"I want a retake!"

"Nope," he smiled turning around to look at the mess. "This is going to be fun to clean up." They spent the next half hour scooping up the glass pieces and managing to only cut themselves once. When they were finally done they sat back on the couch.

"So, I have Netflix, HBO, Starz, and all of that stuff according to the cable man," Steve reached for the remote.

"According to the cable man'? I thought you loved your TV?" Wanda teased.

"I rarely watch TV," Steve chuckled, "And when I do, it's whatever happens to be on," he handed her the remote.

"I'm right there with you," she started fiddling with the remote. They spent what was left of the rest of the night trying to figure out the remote but failing miserably. They didn't mind though, they were laughing all the way throughout the process at how unadvanced they were technologically. Wanda can't remember who fell asleep first but they ended up both falling asleep on the couch with her head tucked into his shoulder. Once again, she slept peacefully beside him.

* * *

 **Please review! You have no idea how much it means.**


	8. Cupcakes & Pizza

"Hey Rob," Steve waved at the security guard in the front lobby. To the outside world he looked like a plain, New Yorker but really he had joined Steve in quite a few S.H.I.E.L.D. missions. All of the real security guards in the complex had been replaced by agents and any empty homes were now housing agents, watching for Hydra's next move on Wanda. Steve stepped into the elevator and hit his floor number.

Wanda. She had been living in his apartment for 3 weeks now. In all honesty, he was enjoying it. It could get very lonely in the large space. S.H.I.E.L.D. had prepped and given him the apartment already set up so he had never really felt like it was home, since there wasn't really anything of him in it but ever since Wanda had joined him, he felt like it was. He came home from his missions every day and she would be there cooking delicious Sokovian food (which he could not get enough of), or trying to do something she saw on the internet (which she had recently discovered more of), or she would be sitting on the couch reading and waiting for him to get home so she could tell him about an awesome new trick she could do with her magic and she always sat him down and asked him about his mission and day. They had grown to such a level of familiarity, he had no idea what he would do when she moved out. She was that happy burst of energy hopping around his apartment that he so desperately needed. Since he had been brought back, he felt like his life was just a constant of missions and sleep, nothing more, nothing new but with Wanda, every day was different and he had no idea what to expect of his day. The elevator doors swung open to reveal Sharon on the other side.

"Oh hey," she smiled.

"Hey," he returned the greeting as he exited the elevator. Though they played it cool, he still felt the tension in the air. 6 months ago, she had confessed her feelings for him and he wasn't able to do the same. Sharon had always been so kind to him and he really appreciated all of her help now with Wanda but there was always something missing in their relationship and at the end of the day he just didn't love her in the way she deserved.

"Well, I hope you have a nice day," she said, brushing her arm against his. She had told him the day he had ended things that she would wait even with his persisting for her to move on and she was still keeping to her word.

"You too," he replied and began fishing for his keys. He opened his door but didn't find Wanda in her usual spot in the living room. "Wanda?" he called out. No answer. He walked into the kitchen to find a big mess. There was flour _everywhere_ along with other ingredients on every surface. Steve took a few steps further in to find smashed plates and cooking pans on the floor. His heart began racing immediately. "Wanda!" He ran out of the kitchen and into his bedroom "Wanda!" he turned to check the bathroom and ran right into her. She was only wearing a towel and with his hand he had accidentally caught the corner making it fall. Wanda caught it just in time before it exposed anything.

"Steve!" she yelled with a horrified expression. "What are you doing?!" He took in her form. She was okay. He felt the relief as a heavy weight left his chest.

"I came in and saw the broken plates and stuff on the floor and you didn't answer and I just thought that… I was worried," he confessed. Wanda just stared at him before breaking into a laugh. "It's not funny! I was seriously worried!"

"I'm sorry," she giggled and readjusted her towel. Wanda walked over to the dresser. Steve had cleared out a couple drawers for her even when she had told him it wasn't necessary. "I was baking in the kitchen-," she spun around to look at him, "Where are all of my clothes?"

"I took most of our clothes to the laundromat this morning," he paused, "I forgot to pick it up on my way back," he confessed sheepishly. Wanda grabbed the one pair of shorts left in her drawer.

"I'm stealing one of you shirts then. Anyway, as I was saying, I was baking in the kitchen and I decided to try that new machine Laura gave you and everything exploded. The mix went everywhere and I got spooked so I dropped the machine on the counter knocking everything over," she laughed. He had noticed, her clumsiness more and more recently but he thought is was more cute than anything else. "I swear I was going to clean it all up but I got mix _all_ over my clothes and in my hair and eyes so I just jumped in the shower. And well that brings us to you trying to take my towel off."

"What! I wasn't trying to-," but Wanda was laughing and Steve made a face at her. She had been so much happier the past few days. Her cold exterior was peeling off and he was happy to see the really, playful Wanda come out. "I'll be in the living room," he called out as he left the room to give her some privacy. To his surprise, he found Nick Fury standing by the front door. "Director?"

"Captain."

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"We think S.H.I.E.L.D. has located Emil's whereabouts in the French mountainside. You, Stark, and Romanoff will be leading the raid tomorrow morning," Fury said in monotone. Steve stared at him.

"Why come personally to tell me this? Why not send an agent?" Fury looked over at Steve's closed bedroom door and back at him.

"There was some intercepted conversation between the Hydra agents that they have a weapon to make Maximoff go rouge. Romanoff has briefed you on this."

"Wanda would never-."

"She's been brainwashed before. We can't take our chances on her with the knowledge she has on S.H.I.E.L.D. It is _very_ important that she stays out of Hydra's radar until we've secured the weapon." Steve nodded his head. "She cannot know a word of this until it's over, understood?"

"Yes," Steve replied and Fury was gone in a blink. Steve had read Wanda and Pietro's files many times before and he knew that the Hydra scientists had been testing out different mind-control tactics on the twins, some of which had worked until Wanda had seen Ultron's vision of the future which snapped her out of the trance. There was no way he was letting them take over her mind like that again. Something about Fury's appearance made him question if that was really the reason though. Romanoff could have just told him about the mission tomorrow. Why were they so dead set on keeping Wanda locked in?

"This shirt is really comfy," Steve turned to see Wanda emerging from the bedroom. "I might keep it," she teased as she sat down on the couch.

"So what were you making?" he asked, plopping down next to her.

"New dinner recipe," Wanda replied, "I ordered pizza so we should be okay tonight though."

"What kind?"

"Barbeque pineapple with olives," she smiled. His favourite. He loved that he would mention little things here and there and she'd always remember. "I don't know what you did Cap but you got me hooked on it too."

"I'm telling you, it's delicious," he laughed.

"Well, I'm going to go get started on the kitchen," she winked and walked off.

"Hold on, let me help," Steve ran after her and into the kitchen. They stood there and just looked around. It was a complete disaster. "Where do we even start?"

"No clue," she giggled and tossed a rag at him. "But we have to get this done." Steve took a step and he heard a squish as felt a drop of something fall on his face. He lifted his foot and found that he had stepped on a tomato. "Steve!"

"What?" he turned around and saw where the tomato had sprayed. He didn't even realize he was laughing until he was almost out of breath. Wanda was sitting on the floor with tomato all over her face and freshly washed hair trying to look angry. "Okay, I'm done," he said in between breaths, "I'm sorry it was too funny." He finally stopped laughing and regained his footing. Wanda got up from her spot and walked over to the counter. She opened up the plastic cover over the cupcakes Sharon had brought over the other day and picked one out.

"I'm glad you think that was funny," he could see the tomato seeds in her hair as she got closer, "but I think this is pretty funny." She took the cupcake and squished it on his forehead then proceeded to drag it down his face. She dropped the rest of the cupcake down on the counter and took a step back.

"You are going to regret that," he said, wiping some of the frosting off of him and grabbing another cupcake. Wanda giggled and ran as he chased her. She circled the kitchen island until they were on opposite sides with the counter between them. "It's only fair, Wanda."

"You sprayed me with a tomato!" She laughed.

"On accident!" He knew if he made a spontaneous run for it, he could circle the counter before she was on the other end. Her surprise would delay her reaction and he was a much faster runner. He ran and although she tried, he caught her.

"Steve!" She laughed and wriggled in his arms but to no use. They were face to face and laughing. He held her in place with one arm and lifted the other with the cupcake. He mimicked her earlier move but made a point to smear the frosting everywhere on her face. "I cannot believe you just did that!" she laughed, wiping the cream off.

"Hey, you started it," he retaliated. She just looked up at him and smiled. Steve didn't know why just he just wanted to keep this sight of her forever. She looked so carefree and happy, even covered in tomato and frosting. Around others, she was so quiet and serious and he felt like he was lucky enough to see the real Wanda. He wished she didn't have to carry the weight of the world on her shoulders all the time. He noticed that she had quieted down too and was staring back at him. He realized just how close they were. The tension in the air was so tight. If he just leaned over... a knock sounded through the apartment. Steve cleared his throat and let Wanda go.

"Must be the pizza guy," Wanda ran past him. Steve looked around the kitchen trying to process what he had almost just done. He heard as Wanda squealed when she opened the door and walked over to see why. His regular pizza delivery guy, Liam, was just standing there, nothing different. Maybe Wanda was really hungry?

"You two seem to be having a lot of fun," Liam commented at their appearance as he took the money Wanda handed him. Wanda took the pizza and gave him a huge smile.

"Thanks!" she exclaimed and closed the door. Steve helped clear the living room table and she put the pizza down. They grabbed a couple tissues and wiped the frosting off of them before settling down on the couch. Steve opened the box and to his surprise found a message. On the pizza the words "HAPPY BDAY STEVE" were spelled out with olives. He looked over at Wanda. "I remember when we were in the cellar, you told me your birthday was today. I was actually trying to bake you a cake earlier but that went down the drain so I thought I'd get your favourite pizza instead," she smiled at him. He stared at her, not being able to believe what she had done. Steve had forgotten it was his birthday today, like everyone else. No one had said anything to him all day. But Wanda. She remembered. He couldn't put into words what he felt . He just stared at her as she laughed. Even in an oversized T-shirt with no makeup and messy hair, she was so beautiful. Her person was so bright and good at the core.

"Thank you," he smiled and pulled her into his arms so tightly.


End file.
